On May 3, 2001, Austin mayor Kirk Watson declared Gary Clark Jr. Day for a guitar prodigy who had not yet finished high school. Born in Austin on February 15, 1984, Clark got an Ibanez RX-20 for Christmas at 13 and taught himself from instructional books checked out of the Covington Middle School library, working through Jimmy Reed tabs while soaking up Green Day and Nirvana on the radio. Learning in isolation built a distinctive ear for rhythm and tone, and the legendary club Antone's, where promoter Clifford Antone welcomed him and Jimmie Vaughan mentored him, taught him the feel no book could. He won the Austin Music Award for best blues and electric guitarist three times as a teenager.

This episode traces his national breakthrough: the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival, the 2011 Warner Bros. signing and Bright Lights EP, the 2012 debut Bl ...